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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24987175">Cha +10</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fowluu/pseuds/Fowluu'>Fowluu</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragalia Lost (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:40:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,839</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24987175</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fowluu/pseuds/Fowluu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eugene is a young bisexual guy coming to terms with his sexuality alongside his inability to talk to people in a normal situation, let alone romantic ones, and he seeks some advice from an older man who is praised around the Halidom as a romantic, and who is unfortunately not any better with love than he is</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cha +10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>That new Dragalia Life comic was very cute, poor Eugene, everyone is cute and he's stressed</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ever since he could remember, Eugene was not good with people. Something within him just wasn't built for it, reacted rather viscerally toward others. Maybe it was something deep in his genetics, that he was unfortunately born with and would never be able to be rid of, that made his blood run hot, that twisted up his guts into knots, whenever he was faced with another person. If his parents had to give him such an undesirable trait, the least they could have done was stick around to take care of him and deal with it alongside him, rather than leaving him to mostly fend for himself, in a hut that his uncle was at least kind enough to let him live in it. It was always like this since he was a kid, it was seen as cute back then, an endearing little quirk that made him shy and adorable, that he would inevitably grow out of. </p><p>Now he was seventeen, his teenage years almost completely squandered by this horrible trait, having slipped through his fingers like sand. He never got to have a normal teenage experience, doing foolish things with friends he did not and could not have, having sleep overs, and eating nougat until they made themselves sick with sugar. Maybe he hadn't even tried to hold onto them, though. If he had wanted, maybe he could have taped up the holes in the sieve, kept all the years from passing by, alone, without anyone by his side to call a friend.</p><p>It got worse as he aged, as well, as he found himself wanting not only for friendship, but falling for the typical teenage yearnings of puppy love and petty crushes.</p><p>Not just for girls, either, no that would be much too simple for someone like him, his heat pounded, and his chest screamed, whether it was a boy or a girl catching his attention, or Ilia forbid, holding his hand, like that dreaded shopping trip with Elisanne and Luca for the Halidom just the other day. He was certain his chest would burst, two kind and pretty people like that leading him around, them none the wiser to the fact he could feel himself burning alive any time they acknowledged him. </p><p>Maybe he was just touch starved, or maybe they were insignificant little crushes. He was thinking yes.</p><p>Ugh, he was just so stupid! He couldn't handle it if he was attracted to just girls, let alone boys too. If he only liked one, then it would be easier to find someone to talk to who didn't make his heart race so badly when they happened to smile at him the right way. Who would he ever have the confidence to talk to, then?</p><p>Well, still no one, if he is being honest. He can't make friends, and he definitely can't get a date.</p><p>All this mopping around about his inevitable fate to die alone was what led him to notice a certain older man, whom he had overheard gossip about around the Halidom rather frequently during his currently brief time here, from both women and men. All of the mutterings were always so positive, and often said in a very lighthearted tone, wispy and airy, as if they were infatuated with the man. Apparently he was a romantic without hardly trying, a kind fellow with a handsome look, and talented with mana as well.</p><p>His name was Naveed, and Eugene simply had to talk to him.</p><p>Someone that cool would surely be able to help him with... Whatever this was.</p><p>Unfortunately, whenever he did manage to get a wild and crazy idea into his head, Eugene had a bad habit of running into things head first without thinking, and with people, that meant he was a stuttering mess.</p><p>"H-hello sir!" <em>Ouch</em>, too loud. You don't have to scream it at people, they know you're here. </p><p>If he was put off by the unfortunate greeting, Naveed didn't show it, smiling easily at him, looking up from the array of shiny things he appeared to be messing around with as he sat outside in the Halidom courtyard, organized neatly on a small table. They kinda looked like gem stones. Eugene remembers someone mentioning the guy used them with mana, somehow. That was also kinda cool. This guy was way too out of his league, he probably shouldn't even be wasting his time trying to speak with him.</p><p>"How can I help you, young man?"</p><p>"E-<em>erm</em>..." Eugene tried to swallow around his tongue, which had become rather heavy and useless in his mouth, like it always did when these situations cropped up. Now the man was looking at him confused, which only made the sinking feeling worse, like he had swallowed a handful of those stones on the table. Crap, crap, crap. He was making a fool out of himself already, and all he said was <em>hello</em>!</p><p>"Whatever you have to say, I won't judge, take your time." He had a rather soothing voice, this guy. When paired with the way he smiled, well, Eugene could see why he was so popular with everyone. Maybe that was what he needed to work on? How he smiled? Something more gentle, easier around the edges. Maybe he needed to talk a little slower, too, less hurried and nervous. </p><p>He took a steadying breath, watched the man work on fixing a stone, a brilliant orange in color, split in cracks of olive green, on the end of a simple black cord. Tried to distract himself with the motions of the work, watching his fingers, instead of his face. It looked like he knew what he was doing, whatever it was, making jewelry or something. Eugene thought that was also kinda cool.</p><p>Finally, he spoke, releasing the words in an outward breath that was likely hard to hear, betraying how uncertain he was about this whole situation. "Everyone says really- really nice things about you. Girls do- and, um, boys do, a-as well." He could feel his mouth getting dry as his body tried to physically reject the foolish decision to put itself in this situation (and really he should listen to that more), so it was now or never, or he'd never get the words out! "How do you do that? Make all those people... l-like you? Like... <em>that</em>."</p><p>He was met with silence, urging him to finally look up from the table to acknowledge what was happening, at the shocked face of the man before him. His mouth opened, once, then closed, and repeated once more. It was as if he was struggling to comprehend the notion presented to him. For a moment Eugene worried, maybe the guy was so shocked that <em>him</em> of all people would ask something like that. Clearly he wasn't the same kind of guy as this dude, why would he even think he could be? So Stupid!</p><p>When Naveed finally spoke, what came out was in stutters, "You- you're looking for <em>romantic</em> advice, aren't you, I, <em>um, </em>oh dear-"</p><p>Eugene, meanwhile, was now nearly in a state of shock himself. This guy was acting... anxious? Nervous? Like he didn't know what to say about his own charismatic charms that everyone went on and on about around the place. But he was so cool when everyone was talking about him! He didn't think all of those people had the wrong idea, or that he had he had the wrong man. He certainly fit the bill of who he was looking for. How can a guy like <em>that</em> trip on his words like this?</p><p>Like, well, <em>Eugene</em> did.</p><p>"Maybe I'm not the best man to ask, I... am not the most lucky in matters of the heart."</p><p>He clenched his fists at his side, a little frustrated with the lackluster response, after all the struggle of gathering up the nerve to talk to the guy in the first place. He refused to believe this was all just a misunderstanding! </p><p>"Everyone says really nice things about you, though! I-I wanna be like that! I have no luck with making friends, let alone getting people to think I'm.... <em>dateable</em>. I just... I want people to like me."</p><p>He heard Naveed hum, vaguely, past the sound of his internal self berating him for being so stupid and even asking about something like this. Talking to people was hard enough as it was, let alone trying to get life advice from someone he didn't even know. Besides, he already threw away almost his entire teen years with no friends, might as well not do any other normal teen stuff, like dating, or getting first kisses or-</p><p>Just the thought of that was really embarrassing! Here he didn't think he could feel more stressed than he already did!</p><p>"Here, young man." Eugene looked up when he was addressed, fully prepared to be teased for his strange behavior, or simply told to go away and do whatever it was he did alone in his room all day long. Instead, he found himself getting something pressed into his hands, and when he looked down, he saw that orange stone from earlier, neatly transformed into a simple pendant, now on black cord. "Have you heard of lithomancy?" Eugene shook his head, and Naveed pressed on, "Well, long story short, I can manipulate the mana within gemstones to achieve a desired effect. That one in your hands can help calm your emotions down when you're talking to others. Let's say it'll increase your charisma."</p><p>Eugene blinked, processing the information, before quickly shaking his head, "I-I can't take this, sir, I certainly can't pay for it-"</p><p>"Nonsense. It's a gift, from me. I hope it will help you, until you find you can be confident on your own. I'm sure then you'll receive praise from lots of girls, and boys, of course."</p><p>Eugene stared at the pendant in his hand, and for a moment he was reminded of his detailed board games, like he was just given an important item, something that would be able to boost his stats in an area he was lacking, so he may finally be able to take on that final boss that he was unable to usurp just moments before. If something like this really was possible with mana, than maybe he did stand a chance to make friends here, and maybe even find someone he <em>liked</em>. That really was incredible! He didn't think something like this existed!</p><p>"Th-thank you, sir!"</p><p>"Just Naveed, please. And you?"</p><p>Eugene could feel himself grow hot, realizing this entire time he had yet to introduce himself. But, he gripped the bright orange stone tightly in his fist, steeled his resolve against the enemy before him, and he spoke as confidently as he could.</p><p>"It's Eugene! Sir! Naveed, sir-"</p><p>And, well, Naveed figured he wouldn't need to tell the kid the pendant was just a simple, regular old rock. For even ordinary things can be special as long as you believe they are.</p>
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